Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams has admitted he was 'not surprised' to find himself in the dance-off this weekend, despite fans' shock. The 29-year-old actor and his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin landed in the bottom two alongside Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu, after failing to top the leaderboard with their American Smooth to Björk's 'It's Oh So Quiet'.
Speaking on BBC's It Takes Two, Layton said: 'I'm not gonna lie I was lowkey expecting it after the judges' comments so I wasn't exactly surprised, obviously it's disappointing when that happens.' He credited a pep talk from Nikita for helping him refocus: 'I had 10 minutes in my dressing room... then my game face was on, let's do this.'
The judges ultimately saved Layton and Nikita by a majority vote, sending Angela home. However, head judge Shirley Ballas voted to keep Angela and Carlos, sparking backlash from viewers on social media. One fan wrote: 'Layton should Not be in the bottom two,' while another said: 'How is Layton in the dance off?'
Taking to Instagram after the show, Layton expressed relief: 'That was close! SO grateful to be through to Musicals Week! Being in the bottom two has given me a fire up my...' He also paid tribute to Angela Scanlon, saying: 'I love you x100! The last vid just sums you up. Pure joy.'
Fans rallied behind the star in the comments, with one writing: 'Absurd that you were even in the bottom two but hey, it just makes you stronger right?' Another added: 'Well done for Bouncing back must of taken Guts to come back form that moment.'
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
